One of the worst schisms that ever occurred was the schism that took place in man.
In the Garden before the fall, we were whole. What we thought in our heads matched what we felt in our gut, the words we said fit with who we were, who we were on the inside matched what was seen on the outside, what we believed was what we lived out day by day.
Can you imagine?
But at the fall, we fractured ourselves, we broke ourselves in pieces. Uprooted from the Garden, we made our dwelling a distant country where wholeness is no longer the norm. A place where…
- A man says he loves his wife but sneaks looks at other women.
- A woman strives to make herself look successful or beautiful, but on the inside she’s plagued by feelings of low self-worth.
- A young man asks a classmate to send him a nude selfie, and he has no idea deep down under his request, he’s searching for validation.
- A young woman in youth ministry shares God’s love with students, but struggles to believe God loves her as she is.
- A pastor preaches about worshiping God but hungrily devours the compliments his sermon receives—in essence, bowing at the altar of the opinions of men.
If anything like these in this list strikes close to home for you, that’s bad news.
But all the more reason Christmas is good news for you. And me.
When God became en-fleshed, he united Himself for all time with us in our humanity. God who is One, God who is Life, God who is incorruptible, God who is Love, this God joins Himself with us. And through this union, we are healed.
The answer to our corrupted, disintegrated, sinful state is not found in striving to put ourselves together, but in welcoming Jesus (God en-fleshed) into each broken, torn, polluted part of our beings.
Where are you fractured? Where are your insides not matching what others see? What do you believe in your head but not in your gut? Where is your love of God failing to fuel your actions?
Can you imagine being restored to wholeness? Can you imagine Life Himself bringing all of you to life? Can you imagine being fully alive, unified in spirit, body, heart, mind, and will?
Do imagine. Let yourself long for healing, for life, for wholeness, for love.
Christmas asserts that our salvation is and will be manifested through righteous living, our love of God is and will be expressed by loving others, our belief in Christ is and will be revealed through what we think, and say, and feel, and do. Every day.
Bring yourself—in pieces if you have to—to the manger. There, you’re in the right place. And you’re in good company.
Becoming,
Josh
P.S. Where you need help on this journey, our team at Regeneration would be honored to walk with you.
Wow – who wrote this? My gosh it’s incredible! God has been restoring me day by day for years and what’s written here is my journey back to Eden by the giver of life himself! He is restoring my head and heart to be united, my outsides match my insides (down 85 lbs) my soul having dropped all the rocks! Here – written in a few sentences is the journey of my life – a restored life. I Praise God for you Josh, and for Bob and ann! Giving your lives to spread hope and healing to others. Bless you!
Josh, I love reading your blog posts. You are gifted, both what you say and how you say it. Thanks for serving me and my family so faithfully over the years. It is a privilege to support Regeneration, and a joy to labor with you to build his kingdom.